The eye-lids are thin curtains of skin, conjunctiva, and striated and smooth muscle that contain a plate of fibrous tissue known as the tarsus. The lids function in distributing tears over the anterior surface of the eye and in limiting the amount of light entering the eye. Thus, the primary function of the lid is to protect the eyeball.
Since ancient times, the eyes have also been a significant means of attraction between the genders. Enhancement of the eye by framing the lids with exotic paint or coloring has been known to every culture since the days of Cleopatra, and pencil and liquid eye liners and mascara form an important part of today's cosmetic market. Practically every woman enhances the outline of her eye before going out socially or otherwise.
However, up to now, certain women could not wear eye liner because of several reasons. Some women have visual impairments such as cataracts or the like and cannot see well enough to apply eye liner using conventional means without taking a chance that the sharp edge of an application instrument will pierce the eye. Yet other women may have physical handicaps affecting their hands which prevent them from applying eye liner with a steady stroke. In some instances, a wearer of contact lenses cannot wear conventional eye make-up.
Thus, there are numerous women whose physical appearance and emotional well being suffer because of their lack of the ability to enhance their appearance by using normal eye liner make-up. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a procedure and apparatus for cosmetic surgery to enhance the appearance of the eyes by surgically implanting color pigments under the skin layers of the lash line or lid margin of the eyes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for simultaneously holding the eye lid in place and acting as a guide for the implantation of colored pigments beneath the skin of the lash line or lid margin.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a procedure for implanting color pigments beneath the skin of the lash line or lid margin, which procedure is performed under a microscope to provide greater safety and efficiency in the implantation process.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a procedure for permanently implanting colored pigments into the dermal and/or epidermal layer of the lash line or lid margin, which includes methods of application that prevent smearing or smudging of the eye liner, and which avoids discomfort to the patient to whom the procedure is being applied.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a permanent and/or semi-permanent eye liner to the dermal and/or epidermal layer of the skin, whereby additional colored pencil or liquid eye liner can be applied directly to the skin surface over the permanent eye liner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for implanting colored pigments into the dermal and/or epidermal layer of the eyelash line or lid margin, which apparatus includes a novel reciprocating needle structure in combination with an enveloping cone which surrounds and protects the needle structure, ensures the proper degree of penetration of the needle structure into the skin, and stores pigment solution adjacent the needle structure by means of capillary action.
These and other objects and features accomplished by the present invention will be better understood with reference to the following summary of the invention, drawings, and detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.